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Four days after Yulken secretly summoned Lux, the atmosphere in the castle began to change.

This change could be seen as positive for some and negative for others, but one thing was certain.

“Damn it…”

For Vincent, the old man alone in his room, squeezing the glass in his hand until it shattered, the change was decidedly unpleasant.

His anger was directed towards Lux Feltnar, who had promised to join him in this venture.

‘Why the hell hasn’t he contacted me? That damn bastard.’

There was a reason why Vincent’s calm demeanor had shifted so quickly.

On the day Yulken arrived at the castle, a letter had arrived for Vincent, and its contents were alarming.

The message was quite simple.

‘Lux has revealed your sins, so prepare to offer your neck.’

The sins mentioned were unspecified, and the identity of the sender was not disclosed.

However, for Vincent, nothing could chill him to the bone quite like this.

At first, he thought it might just be a ploy, but after four days without a trace of Lux, unease began to creep in.

He understood that he should avoid contact in the castle as much as possible, yet with the flames looming close, it became increasingly hard to remain composed.

So, Vincent tried to communicate with Lux through letters or by sending a user as a messenger, attempting to set up a meeting.

But he received no response.

No, to be precise, he was likely being willfully ignored.

If it were true that Lux had revealed all Vincent’s sins, he surely wouldn’t have told the whole truth.

At the very least, he would have made sure there was an escape route for himself, or made it sound like it was all Vincent’s doing.

In such a situation, if their contact were discovered, it could lead to suspicions of collusion.

‘That worthless scum would be a waste even to chew on.’

The reason Vincent had been able to casually observe the situation up to this point was simple.

Even if he became a suspect during the process of identifying the culprit, there was no concrete evidence linking him to the crime.

Eventually, when the case dropped to a mere suspicion, the search for physical evidence would slacken too.

Even if he thought he had erased all traces, there would inevitably be some vulnerability revealed, but if there were no investigation, there was less to worry about.

However, if Lux had revealed everything, the game would change.

The investigations would undoubtedly close in on Vincent, and eventually, some unexpected lead would emerge, exposing him.

The worst scenario would be if Lux, as a co-conspirator, provided evidence that Vincent had orchestrated the incident.

‘I’ve burned all the letters. But I can’t be sure he did the same.’

While the two had briefly discussed some matters in person, most substantial discussions had taken place through letters.

The primary reason for this was the concern that someone might be eavesdropping.

In retrospect, this concern could very well turn into a stumbling block for Vincent.

He had burned every letter as soon as he received them, but he had no way of knowing what the other party had done.

What if he had kept them until now?

Crack.

As the worst-case scenario crossed his mind, Vincent clenched his trembling fist.

‘At this point, I can’t sit idly by.’

If he couldn’t face Lux directly to discuss matters, he had to take the initiative to avoid the worst outcome.

Even if Lux hadn’t betrayed him, it didn’t matter.

He would have to cut that bud anyway when this whole affair was exposed.

Moving before all was revealed. That was what he needed to do right now.

—

Ariel had spent the past four days living a perfectly ordinary life.

She began to learn official duty from Yulken, martial arts from Edgar, and even learned how to knit for the first time from Shuri.

Her days flowed with continuous learning.

However, Ariel found immense joy in this routine.

In the past, she hadn’t been able to enjoy it fully due to the pressure of having to become a proper head of the family soon, but now that burden was lifted.

“Aren’t you thinking it’s about time to learn from Creed?”

After finishing his training session in the practice yard today, Edgar casually threw out the suggestion as he caught his breath.

Ariel’s skills had improved to a point where he was no longer able to teach her anything worthwhile.

Is this what true genius feels like?

Edgar couldn’t help but feel a bit ridiculous thinking back to the days when he had received compliments from Creed.

“Why? Is it a hassle?”

However, Ariel didn’t pick up on Edgar’s emotions and replied in a somewhat subdued tone.

It had sounded to her like he wanted to pass the training on to Creed because it was getting too burdensome.

“What kind of idiotic thing is that? It’s just that I can’t teach you anything more.”

“I don’t really mind…”

She knew from the start that Creed was more skilled, and if there were a better teacher for her, they would have brought someone from outside.

However, the real reason she wasn’t doing that was simply because of her own selfish desire.

Having just decided on her feelings for Edgar and wanting to seize the opportunity to get closer, she was taking this chance.

Of course, there were valid reasons for wanting to learn martial arts as well, and Edgar was certainly skilled enough for that.

But the problem was that now the situation had blown out of proportion.

In the end, Ariel felt that if this continued, she would be forced to learn from Creed, so she had no choice but to concoct a little white lie.

If caught later, she would simply deny it.

“Can’t I just keep learning like this? Creed also said that he’d be sufficient for you to learn from him.”

“What? Creed said that?”

“Yep.”

Ariel lied smoothly without batting an eyelash.

Edgar showed a somewhat dubious expression, but since it was Creed who thought highly of her, he considered it plausible.

It was hard to doubt a guarantee from someone like Creed, so ultimately, Edgar decided to continue overseeing Ariel’s training.

Worried that he might react too enthusiastically and arouse suspicion, Ariel quietly rejoiced inside while nodding calmly on the outside.

Who would have thought that the teachings of the Great Duke’s household to hide emotions during negotiations would come in handy in such a way?

With this resolved, the two collapsed onto the floor of the training ground.

Recently, their training had focused more on practical sessions rather than just assuming postures, so their stamina quickly dwindled.

“By the way, it’s been quiet these past few days.”

“Quiet?”

At Edgar’s sudden mutter, Ariel tilted her head in confusion.

She sensed what he was getting at, but pretended not to notice, acting somewhat overly exaggerated to feign ignorance.

“Considering what happened, I’m being extra careful when going outside. But it’s annoyingly quiet to the point where it feels uncomfortable.”

“Isn’t quiet a good thing? At least it gives us time together.”

“That’s true.”

After all, peace is generally good news.

However, for Edgar, there was one troubling point: Ariel had not mentioned anything about the incident to him.

He had heard that she had relayed the events to Yulken but had received absolutely no information about how things were progressing.

It felt almost as if she were deliberately avoiding the topic.

‘There’s no way it’s already been resolved.’

The possibility was slim, but even if it were, she would definitely have informed him.

Perhaps she was discreetly investigating things to the extent that she felt she shouldn’t say anything to him.

Being one of the parties involved, he was curious about what had happened afterward, but he couldn’t just demand answers at will.

After all, now that he realized that there was an enemy among them, Edgar couldn’t be of much help if he didn’t know anything about them.

He certainly wasn’t in a position to send anyone to dig for information.

“Hey, Ed, what are you thinking?”

As Ariel’s warm red eyes suddenly locked onto his, Edgar involuntarily flinched and chuckled.

Those eyes were so beautiful that even someone as accustomed to them as he was could be surprised when they appeared out of nowhere.

Perhaps it was because they were so otherworldly.

“Oh, I was just thinking it’s unsettling how quiet it is.”

“What’s there to be uneasy about? I’m right here with you.”

“Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, you know.”

That this was coming from the future head of the Great Duke’s household certainly heightened Edgar’s trustworthiness.

‘Well, if the power of the Robeheim family is anything to go by, this incident should be easily resolved.’

No news is good news, after all.

With that thought in mind, Edgar relaxed a little, patting Ariel’s shoulder as she leaned against him.

“Hey, Ed, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“What would you do if someone killed or tried to kill your family or loved ones…?”

It was a rather unexpected question, and Edgar wore an expression of confusion.

At first, he thought she was just joking around, but the seriousness in her gaze indicated it was a sensitive topic.

After pondering for a moment, Edgar offered a balanced viewpoint.

“I guess I’d want to kill them. Of course, I’m uncertain if just killing in return is justified.”

“Really? That’s a bit different from what I think.”

“What do you mean?”

While he suspected it was a frivolous question, he couldn’t help but be curious about her thoughts.

As Edgar questioned her back, Ariel looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, then pulled him into an embrace, burying her face into his shoulder as she whispered softly.

“I’d show them the fear I felt. The fear of possibly losing someone dear to me, I’d engrave it deeply into their bones.”

“…That’s pretty brutal.”

“Kindness returns in doubles, revenge in hundreds. It’s a tradition that continues in our family.”

It was hard to believe that someone who had just expressed such ruthless words could smile so brightly in response to Edgar.

Then she pulled him in even closer, savoring the heartbeat she felt from him while silently offering a small apology.

‘I’m sorry, Ed.’

I may not repay you in the way you desire, but I will repay you in my own way.

Just the fact that those filthy hands tried to reach for you makes me want to regret it.

If you find out about my methods, I’m aware that you might hate me for it, so you can resent me for not being honest.

But even so, I can’t let you go.

You’ve fallen in love with a woman like me.

A woman so greedy that she would never relinquish what’s mine to anyone else.

A selfish woman determined to do whatever it takes to keep you from leaving me.

That’s the kind of witch you mean to me, the one I cherish above all else.

 

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